Vladimir Putin’s 3-day cakewalk, from Moscow to Kyiv, is now 26.5 weeks in.
The big news today is the possibility that Ukraine may launch an offensive in Kherson Oblast. We’ll be able to discuss it after the preliminary.
Political-Strategic Level
This level has seen a lot of activity. It is best to see it all together in order to get an idea of what is happening.
Bizarre Assassination
Darya Dugin was found by police in the rubble of a Moscow street. Dugin was a disinformation leader and active propagandist, following the example of her father.
It was chaos.
1/5 SECOND LOOK: “Azov batallion ID” presented by FSB, as basic online forensic tools see it. Forensically reveals the quality time the photoshop artist spent with clone tool, due to some darn fine pattern. #dugina #UkraineWar #FSB #fake pic.twitter.com/Zwf8B1P3cq
— Lauri Linnamäe (@IssandJumal) August 22, 2022
The eulogies weren’t very well-written.
Truly unbelievable speech from Dugin at the funeral of his own daughter Daria, whom he is elevating as a martyr for the cause of Russia’s victory in Ukraine. Only victory can justify the price she paid, he says: “She died in the name of victory.” pic.twitter.com/FBIJQ1zLEu
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) August 23, 2022
“One country. One president. One victory!” – Russian State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky said at the Daria Dugina’s funeral.
This is almost a literal translation of the German Nazis slogan «Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer». So who needs denazification: Ukraine or maybe Russia? pic.twitter.com/HsZhsmeBtU
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) August 23, 2022
Funeral of Darya, the piece de résistance
I must say I’m now totally confused. Left: this is how Daria Dugina’s car looks like after the explosion and fire; right: this is how Daria Dugina looks in a coffin after she was reportedly killed in that car. I have a feeling that something doesn’t really “compute”. pic.twitter.com/t3YJ2ecYXg
— Anton Shekhovtsov (@A_SHEKH0VTS0V) August 23, 2022
All the usual suspects made a lot of noise, declaring that this was an “escalation” and that Russia would provoke Russia into new and unspecified retaliation. (When cruise missiles are fired into randomly-placed apartment blocks, it is hard to find anything to increase the number of ). Nobody can answer the question of why anyone would target a third-tier Moscow grifter’s daughter.
🚨VIDEO: Deputy Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Yevhen Secretaryov, car set on fire in Moscowpic.twitter.com/8CNWsrEJ8o
— Breaking News (@NewsJunkieBreak) August 27, 2022
In #Moscow, the car of a propagandist responsible for military censorship was blown up. The #ruXXians claim that 65-year-old Olena Belova set fire to the car of the Deputy Chief of the Directorate of the General Staff of #ruZZia Yevgeny Skretaryov. pic.twitter.com/5wEKnkua24
— ꑭ Natalia ꑭ (@NatalieSmal) August 28, 2022
As expected, the story ended. Smart money suggests that this is more likely to have been caused by a power struggle or business dispute with Ukraine.
EU Lifts Russian Ban on Tourists
Many EU member countries are pushing to ban Russian tourist visas. France, Germany, and other European countries are the principal opponents. They claim that Putin is not responsible for the war in Ukraine. Instead, they argue that all Russians are involved in it. This will reduce the number of Russian tourists and increase visa application waiting times.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNP) is a high-level game of chicken. Russia tried to take control of the ZNP from Ukraine’s grid, but Russia refused.
👷 @RafaelMGrossi and a team of experts & inspectors have set off for the IAEA Support & Assistance Mission to #Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ), to help ensure nuclear safety and security at #Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhya NPP and undertake vital safeguards activities.
👉 https://t.co/IrcPxHuukI pic.twitter.com/0IzcLDYsxO— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) August 29, 2022
Money, Money, Money
Joe Biden authorized $3 billion in additional economic and defense assistance to Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion, $13.5 billion has been provided.
New Weapons in Action
The Vehicle-Agnostic, Palletized, ISR Rocket Equipment (or VAMPIRE) is one of the most intriguing weapons in the Ukraine aid package. The system can engage precision ground targets, drones, and fixed-wing aircraft.
As part of the new military assistance package, Ukraine will receive VAMPIRE UAV countermeasure systems from L3Harris.
Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) is a portable complex that can be installed on almost any vehicle with a cargo compartment. pic.twitter.com/ex8x08knBU
— The Rage X (@theragex) August 28, 2022
This vendor created a fantastic video to showcase the system.
An interesting discovery was made on Russian-oriented social media platforms last Wednesday. Photos were taken of an AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (or HARM), that was found in the wreckage.
There are photos of the remnants of an AGM-88 HARM missile after the use by Ukraine on Russian troops. Based on the release date – 1991, it is an AGM-88B Block III missile.https://t.co/amUYUNhQJ5#HARM #AntiRadiationMissile #UkraineRussiaWar #UkrainianArmy #RussianUkrainianWar pic.twitter.com/sB3mdMbhLy
— Sergey from Kyiv (@SergeyFromKyiv) August 26, 2022
HARM is designed to destroy air defense radars.
Both sides were shocked when they learned that US and Ukrainian technicians had worked together to modify AGM-88 in order to make it compatible, we believe with MiG-29 fighters.
Operational Level
These videos are the latest in a series of videos that show the progression of the war. It shows the Russian occupation limits during the first 90 days of fighting between February 24th and May 25th.
This map shows the lines for the war’s first six months.
It is important to note that the front lines remain stable and that there are no territorial changes.
Crimea
Russian forces in Crimea were repelled in a new theater.
Sevastopol was the victim of drone attacks. This allows the Ukrainian SOF to operate quite freely in Crimea.
HQ of Russian Black Sea Fleet in occupied Sevastopol was targeted with suspected drone. 5 wounded, all celebrations of the Navy day cancelled in the city https://t.co/GlBMFbQJUO pic.twitter.com/qOnP9f7hZs
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) July 31, 2022
🔥Video of a kamikaze drone attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, which was the day before yesterday.
The drone calmly flew to the target despite the invaders’ attempts to shoot it down. pic.twitter.com/JsMcp622Sx
— 🇺🇦War in Ukraine🇺🇦 (@Rinegati) August 22, 2022
Kharkiv, Donbas
These frontlines remain largely unchanged from my last update. Although Russia made some small gains in Donbas they still need to be measured in the hundreds.
Kherson
The Ukrainian artillery has been bombarding Russian C3Is, logistics nodes, and logistic hubs for six weeks. You can check out my last update.
Let’s have a look at the theatre where operations are taking place to see what’s going on.
The Dnipro River (Dneiper River), is the crucial terrain.
These bridges cannot be passed, so all traffic crossing Dnipro must take a ferry.
Ukraine has been telegraphing an offensive in the region for two months. The Russians responded by moving troops from Donbas to positions north of the Dnipro.
Special forces and partisans from Ukraine were assassinating each other, adding to the unease.
It was also previously reported that collaborator Layshev Askyar was blown up in his own car in the city of Starobelsk in Lugansk region.
The traitor, after the invaders came to the city, received the post of head of the so-called. “MREO MVD LNR” in Starobelsk.
Video below⬇️ pic.twitter.com/C9SBkivxnp— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 26, 2022
It’s reported that – In temporarily occupied Berdyansk, an assassination attempt was made on a collaborator: Alexander Kolesnikov, “deputy head of the traffic police” of the city, was injured. He was taken to the city clinical hospital with shrapnel wounds.#Ukraine pic.twitter.com/R1RK1Wvdj7
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 26, 2022
Reports of Alexei Kovalev’s death come just months after he survived a separate assassination attempt. https://t.co/JdIsQy08t3
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) August 29, 2022
Ukraine launched ground strikes today after an intense overnight artillery barrage and gained quick gains of over six miles.
This could be meaningful, or not. If it’s an opportunistic offensive, it will only inflict losses or introduce new combat units. It is designed to attract Russian attention, while Zaporizhzhia Oblast deals the actual blow.
I believe this will bring tangible benefits to Ukraine. Russian ammunition dumps in the theater will be destroyed.
We still don’t have a clear picture of Ukraine’s ability to coordinate infantry, armor artillery, and infantry. We are still waiting to see what happens in the next month.
